Stranger Things Have Happened
by melodic.unrest311
Summary: This is my first fanfic ever. I decided to write my first one about my favorite TV character, Dr. Spencer Reid. Reid/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**This is my first FanFic ever. I'm hoping that I get tons of reviews so I can hopefully write another chapter.**_

_**Just FYI, I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters from that show. I only own Marie Collins (and the other subsidiary characters like Rick the Bartender).**_

**Chapter One: Magic Tricks**

"Come on Reid! There's plenty of time to work tomorrow!" said FBI Special Supervisory Agent Derek Morgan to his colleague.

"I'm not going Morgan. I refuse to look like the nerdy lanky kid you dragged to the school dance!" replied Dr. Spencer Reid, also an FBI agent in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Morgan had been trying to get Reid to succumb to his desire to "let loose" after getting back from a week long case in New York. "I'm tired and I'd like to catch up on some much needed sleep"

"Too bad kid. You're going. Who knows? My swagger just might rub off on you and you might actually get lucky tonight."

"Ok Morgan. Sure I will"

With that, the two agents along with their other colleagues agents Jennifer Jareau, and David Rossi, their Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner, and the unit's Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia walked a couple blocks down from the FBI building to Mr. Fish's, a bar frequented by some local college kids and agents on their downtime, especially the BAU.

Within minutes, Morgan, the self-proclaimed ladies man, had already found a twenty something to be his dance partner. J.J. and Penelope were dancing with each other, and Hotch and Rossi sat in a quiet corner with glasses of Scotch, swapping war stories about their times at the Bureau. That left poor, socially awkward Dr. Reid at the bar alone, sipping on a rum and Coke watching all his friends enjoying their free time. "I could be getting all my work done now so I could watch the Star Wars marathon tomorrow." He uttered under his breath while casually finishing his drink.

"But then we wouldn't have gotten the chance to meet each other" replied a woman who had just appeared at the bar to Reid's left. "I've been trying to find a way to come talk to you all night". She had long, luxurious dark brown hair with copper steaks and had bright blue-green eyes. She was petite and much shorter than Reid, even in the heels she was wearing, and she was probably the most beautiful woman Reid had ever seen.

"You…you were…?" fumbled the nervous doctor. Reid was rarely ever approached by women, especially women of her beauty and status.

"Of course I was. You seem like the kind of person I should get to know. My name is Marie, and you are..." she inquired.

"I'm Dr. Spencer Reid, but you can call me Reid, or Spencer, or even Spence if you'd like." He replied anxiously_. Hopefully she doesn't_ _notice how nervous I am_, he thought.

"How about I call you Dr. Reid for now? We can revisit the subject when we get to know each other a little better. Would you care for a drink, Dr. Reid?"

"Only if I can treat you to the drink of your choice" He was proud with how Morgan-esque his response was and couldn't help but feel way more confident than when this Goddess approached him.

"I'll have what you're having, Dr. Reid" The way she said his name drove him crazy, almost giving him chills whenever she spoke.

"Hey Rick, two rum and Cokes please?" asked Reid. The bartender was on a first name basis with most of the agents of the FBI. "You got it Spence." Replied the bartender, already starting on their drinks.

By the time Reid and his new friend had settled into conversation with their drinks, the rest of the team had congregated around Hotch and Rossi, and proceeded to spy on Reid and the mystery woman.

"Who is she, and why didn't I find her first? She is FINE!" stated Morgan to the group.

"Clearly because this particular "fine" woman is attracted to men of the more… nerdy persuasion." replied Rossi, "Maybe it's the glasses that does it for her".

"Whatever it is, I'm pulling for him" said JJ, "it's about time that Spence found someone who can bring him back to Earth with us non-geniuses now and again."

Right as the words left her mouth, Reid got up, leaving Marie at the bar, and strolled over to the BAU occupied corner of the now crowded bar. As he arrived, Penelope received a quick phone call. "Time to go my lovelies." she told them, "Important case in Florida. Wheels up in 30 at the request of our fearless leader, Strauss"

"Oh, not tonight Garcia! You've got to be kidding me!" exclaimed Reid, "I was just about to um... get a ride home"

"Sorry lover boy" said Morgan mockingly, "better go break the news to your new found friend over there".

Reid walked back to the bar and sat down with Marie again. "Let me guess," she said, "Rain check on magic show?"

"Yes, most definitely. I'd love to show you my magic tricks."

"Then you should probably have this…"

Marie took his phone and programmed her number into it.

"Whenever you get back, make sure to let me know. I was really looking forward to the show" she said with a smile. And just like the way she came, she took off and disappeared amongst the other bar patrons.

After her disappearing act, Reid walked back to the FBI building to grab his go-bag from his locker. He got to the runway just in time for the team to leave. During their flight to Florida, there was only one thing on his mind, and he didn't think he'd be able to shake her for a very long while.

* * *

When the team got back from Florida, Reid automatically went to his desk to finish the paperwork. They had arrived around the start of the workday so the other teams were just starting to file in.

Upon their arrival, Strauss was already waiting for Hotch in his office with another woman. None of the agents could get a accurate look at her from "the Bullpen", the area where all the agents' desks were located.

"Must be Prentiss's replacement" said Morgan, "it has been a few months since she left. It's guess it's time to fill her spot on the team."

And as if by magic, Strauss left Hotch's office and took off for her office on another floor of the building. Hotch escorted the woman out to the Bullpen and to everyone's surprise she look incredibly familiar, especially to Reid.

"Everyone, please welcome the new addition to our team, Ms. Marie Collins." Said Hotch. "She'll be replacing Prentiss. Please, make yourself at home. Your desk is over here."

The look on Reid's face could never be duplicated. The new agent walked over to him and stated "I guess I'll be seeing a lot of your magic tricks then, huh Dr. Reid?" inquired Marie.

She sauntered over to her new desk, right across from Reid's, leaned over to his, and whispered "and to be honest, I think I'm going to enjoy this".


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks for the review Tannerose5! Hope this answers your question!**_

_**Also, for anyone else, please review and make suggestions. I'm still learning, so I thank you for bearing with me.**_

_***Warning* There is some case fic in here, so I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable. **_

Chapter 2: Getting Acquainted

"Did you know who I was at the bar last night?" whispered Reid, careful to ask out of hearing range of the others, "you had to have known who I was at that point"

"Honestly, Dr. Reid?" replied Marie, who was starting to settle her pictures and knickknacks into place around her desk.

"Of course honestly."

"Well, kind of. I only knew who you were because you came to speak in a college seminar I took a couple of years ago." She replied "you came in and spoke about the effects of psychoactive drugs on the criminal mind".

"Wait," Reid started combing through his mind "you were the girl who wrote me, asking about how to join the FBI. Was that you?" He looked at her more closely. He imagined her in a large lecture hall sitting right in front of him, hanging off of his every word. Granted, she looked a tad less professional then, coming into class with a sundress and denim jacket with Chuck Taylors, but this was definitely the same girl. Her eyes were just as piercing back then. "Weren't you a freshman then? Wouldn't that make you like…21 right now? You graduated already?"

"Well…actually no. I'm 19. You and I have more in common than you think, Dr. Reid." She smiled coyly "I have an IQ of 185. I believe that's only…two points lower than yours?

Reid smiled but before he could answer, Hotch appeared on the catwalk and addressed the team "Conference room in five. We're going to Kansas".

Reid and Marie walked together to the conference room, talking about quantum physics. He was so grateful to have someone he could actually talk to now. No one else understood him when he spoke about physics, literature, or pretty much anything for that matter. On many occasions even his best friend Morgan would tell him to shut up.

"Before we start, I'd like to give our new colleague the chance to introduce herself. Marie?" Hotch yielded the floor to Marie and took his seat at the head of the table.

"Well, my name is Marie Collins. I have 4 Bachelor's Degrees in Psychology, Biomedical Engineering, Criminology and Music Therapy and I'm currently trying to get my Master's Degree in Criminology. I'm 19 years old and I have an IQ of 185. I'm from Las Vegas and lived there for the majority of my life until I moved away for college to go to MIT. Is that a sufficient introduction, Agent Hotchner?"

"That's fine, Marie. Thank you" Hotch replied with a slight laugh, "you can call me Hotch by the way."

"Are you and the new girl twins or something?" Morgan sarcastically asked Reid underneath the current conversation about the new case.

"No Morgan. You know I'm an only child" said Reid matter-of-factly, clearly not catching onto Morgan's sarcasm.

"Never mind Kid. Never mind".

"Wheels up in 30" stated Hotch, "Go grab your go-bags from the locker room, you'll need them. This looks like it could be a long one."

"Ready for your first case?" Reid asked Marie as they grabbed their go-bags "new agents have tendencies to be nervous, anxious, afraid, and a whole mix of other emotions for their first time".

"You're going with us right?" she questioned.

"Of course I am. I'm part of the team. I go on every assignment. Why?"

"Well, as long as you're going too, I'm actually not so nervous, anxious or afraid. It helps that you're so cute too" she said with a charismatic smile, "Sorry, that was out of line. I'll see you on the plane"

Reid watched her get on the plane and couldn't help but smile and blush. "_Did she just say I was cute?"_ he asked himself. He decided to ignore it and get on the plane, and looked forward to a few more hours where he'd get to speak with Marie.

* * *

When the team arrived to Kansas, they were automatically chauffeured to the local police department. They were there for a serial killer, one who was abducting twenty-something year old men, keeping them for a couple days, then murdering them. Upon their arrival at the station, they were introduced to the main detectives on the case, Detective Jonathan Hardin and Detective Marty Krome.

"Welcome to Mission" said Detective Hardin "You can take the small conference room at the end of the hall. We set it up as instructed by your Technical Analyst. We've never had a serial killer here. This is a brand new thing to us"

"Thank you very much, and we understand. That's why we're here" stated Hotch "Rossi, you and JJ go to the dumpsite. He's only used the one, so the odds of him leaving clues behind, or returning to it, are extraordinarily high. Morgan, you and I will go speak to the family of the latest victim, Mr. Mark Wallace. Reid, you and Marie will stay here and hash out the profile. Make sure to work the Geographical profile as well as the psychological profile. Teach her how we work, then maybe later take her out into the field and interview the witnesses from the abduction this morning. Let's get going everyone".

As everyone else left for their respective assignments, Reid and Marie set up camp in the conference room and Reid started the geographical profile almost instantly.

"I'm assuming you know how geographical profiles work, right Marie? Inquired Reid.

"I think I get the gist of it" she responded, "you're using the dumpsites and reported sightings to triangulate an area where the perpetrator either works or lives. Right Dr. Reid?" She couldn't help but smile when she answered him, like she was proving herself to her trainer.

"That's pretty good. Here in the BAU, however, we usually refer to the perpetrator as the UNSUB though, just so you're aware." Reid smiled back at her. Something about her just made him happy. Usually he liked to work on profiles alone, but he didn't mind her company.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked her.

"Of course. What's up?"

"Earlier, you said I was cute and then apologized. Why?"

Marie was genuinely confused. "Why did I apologize, or why do I think you're cute? Those are two different questions, and since you asked if you could ask A question, I'm going to insist you pick one". She smiled again and continued working on the profile.

_"Is she flirting with me?" _he wondered "_Or is she just socially awkward like me?" _

"Why did you apologize?" he asked finally.

"Because. I didn't feel that that particular statement was appropriate at the time or for our working relationship. Fraternization of agents is strictly prohibited, or so I've been told."

"I see". Reid couldn't help but be a little upset. He was hoping she was flirting with him because that would give him a reason to flirt back. Marie amazed him. She was interested in everything he was. She couldn't pick up on social queues (just like him). He couldn't help but notice that the necklace she was wearing had the Millennium Falcon on it. "Nice necklace" he added, "I didn't take you for a Star Wars fan."

"I even have the Princess Leia Slave outfit." She looked up and saw him staring at her. "What? I like to Cosplay and go to Comic Book Conventions on my free time."

"_Yes. She is the perfect woman." _Reid thought to himself.

* * *

When the team returned back to the station, they put together all the parts they had been working on all day long. Hotch assembled the team to give the profile to the local police.

"Marie, why don't you take the lead on this one?" he asked, "You and Dr. Reid worked on it, so you two should give it."

"If you insist" she replied begrudgingly. She leaned in closer to Reid. "What if I mess up? What if I say the wrong thing or confuse people?" she asked him. "That's what you have me for. I'll be Sir Lancelot if you need saving."

"_A King Arthur reference?" _Marie thought, "_Could he get any better?"_

She cleared her throat and began delivering the profile. "You're looking for a Caucasian man in his late forties to early fifties. He most likely drives an American model pickup truck because he'd need the space to transport the bodies. He's not very educated, probably a high school drop out. The twine used to tie the victims' hands and feet is a popular butcher's twine and the knots suggest that he is probably a butcher or works in that field. He works alone because he wants to enjoy his time with his victims. Also, he's probably a closeted homosexual based on the sexual assault on the bodies. It's angry and filled with rage."

Reid added to the profile when he could see her becoming nervous. "He probably lives this middle-class residential area" he said while pointing to the area on the map that he and Marie had triangulated, "and he probably works within this area as well. He wouldn't want to be very far away from his home due to his victims."

Hotch dismissed the police and met with the team in the conference room. "Good profile you two. I guess it works to have two geniuses on the team now" he said.

* * *

Within the next twenty-four hours, the local police had arrested a man name Max Keller, who turned out to be the murder. They were also able to save his latest captured victim. The team returned to Washington DC and automatically went to their desks to finish the paperwork required to close the case. Reid and Marie were the last to finish and noticed that even Hotch had already gone home. By the time they were finished, it was 2am.

"I'm sorry to bother you Marie, but could I ask you for a ride home? I don't usually drive to work and it's too late for me to take the Metro." He asked her shyly.

"Of course, Spencer. Maybe you can show me your magic tricks now," she said smiling, "if you don't mind".

"I don't mind at all" he replied. With that, they left the BAU, looking forward to some much needed downtime.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Here's the third chapter! Thanks for the review, Mousie1612! **_

Chapter 3: Curve Ball

The ride to Dr. Reid's apartment only took about ten minutes, but it flew by for Marie and Reid, who were heavily engaged in a conversation about Fermat's Last Theorem. Neither had ever had an intellectual equal in their respective units before, so they were taking complete advantage of the situation. When they pulled up to Reid's, they had already exhausted the topic, and had agreed to peacefully disagree.

"Would you like to come inside? I have a bunch of tricks upstairs, plus a couple books I think you'd like." he said.

"Ok, I can't stay for long though," Marie replied, "I still have a thesis paper to write. It's due in a couple weeks".

"Then I definitely have a couple books that you'd like. They'll really help you on your thesis."

When they got upstairs, Marie couldn't help but notice the apartment Reid called home. It was Two-story loft apartment with the bedroom and bathroom upstairs. Everything else, like the kitchen, laundry, and living room were downstairs. The entire living room was lined in bookcases, and each bookcase was full to capacity. The only space within the bookcases was the farthest corner of the room. Reid had turned in it into his own private reading nook with a big padded armchair and a hangover lamp. You could tell that this was his favorite place in the apartment by how worn the chair was.

"Half of those books were either my mother's, or a gift from her." He said while she was perusing his immense collection. She was looking for his favorite. All the books' spines were worn from being read a multitude of times, but there was one who's spine was almost cracked from overuse.

"I didn't take you for a Gatsby kind of guy" Marie said while grabbing the book from its place on the shelf, "This was my favorite book growing up".

"Mine too. It always meant a lot to me that some guy who was intelligent and charismatic could become anything he wanted to be. I guess I always felt connected to Gatsby in a way" he said as he brought her a glass of wine from the kitchen. They sat for a while discussing the book while Reid performed various parlor tricks.

"So you're from Vegas?" he asked her while pushing a pencil through a twenty-dollar bill he had pulled from his wallet, "From where exactly in Vegas?"

"I'm from the valley. I lived about ten minutes from the Strip. How about you?"

"I lived in Henderson mostly. When I went to Sunset Senior High, I lived the valley as well.

"You went to Sunset?!" she asked him excitedly, "I went to His Holy Trinity! It was right next door!"

As they continued the magic tricks, they now discussed how it was possible that they had never met, since they had been in such proximity to one another. They spent the better part of the night discussing their lives in Vegas, their shared ability to count cards, and compared the different casinos they had been banned from.

Around five o'clock am, Marie noticed the time on the clock. "Oh my God, it's 5:00am!" she exclaimed, "I really have to go"

Reid walked her out, downstairs, and to her car and watched her leave. He went upstairs and immediately stripped and got into his bed, hoping that he'd finally be able to get some sleep. When Marie finally got home, she did the same, except she grabbed a book off of one of her own overstuffed shelves. She knew she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, so she opted on rereading her childhood favorite.

* * *

When Marie got to the BAU, she automatically went to the break room to drop off the coffee she had bought that morning. She made herself a cup, but made enough for other agents to have a cup too. She took her seat at her desk and booted up her computer. It was going to be a slow day in the office, seeing as how they had no out of town cases.

"How are you settling in?" asked Derek Morgan. She hadn't gotten the chance to have an actual conversation with him yet, so she took the opportunity that had been presented.

"I'm settling in alright" she replied, "I'm having difficulty adjusting to being in the real world. I just graduated from college a couple months ago, and I was attending the FBI Academy at the same time. This is my first real job"

" Wow, are you being serious right now?" he inquired, "it's really rare that the Bureau picks up someone who is totally green out of the Academy, especially for the BAU."

"Must be my amazing looks and intellect" she replied laughing, "Not too many women around here, huh?"

"Nope, usually a boys club. The women we do have, like JJ, Garcia, and you are a special breed. We've had others before, but they've all left for one reason or another."

While Marie was working on a profile that was requested by a small town sheriff, Reid, Garcia, and JJ walked into the BAU. They all congregated around Morgan's desk, gossiping about the new woman in Hotch's life. Marie, seeing as how she had no idea who they were discussing, went back to her work when Reid came up behind her.

"Good Morning, Marie. How'd you sleep last night? I'm glad to see you got home alright. He said swiftly.

"Morning, Spencer. I slept great, how about you?" She had lied to him because he didn't need to know that she had difficulty sleeping at night.

"Oh, I slept alright. Barely made it to the Metro on time" He also lied to her for the same reason.

The team sat in the office all day working on cases and enjoying each other's company. They team valued the chance to get to know Marie and vice versa. At lunch, they ordered Chinese and everyone, including Hotch, settled in the conference room to eat. Garcia was going on a rant about the Bureau telling her she couldn't die her hair more than one color at a time with Rossi trying to tame her and explain why having blue and hot pink hair was more of a distraction than it was a "personal life decision".

Around five o'clock in the afternoon, Reid and Marie had began discussing the formation of the American Congress when Hotch dismissed the team for the night. They decided to go out to Mr. Fish's to continue spending time together outside of the office. Hotch, however, went home to be with his son.

"Just as a warning, Girl Wonder," said Garcia "Morgan loves to get the girl dancing. I think it's because we're already there and he doesn't have to work so hard, but it's enjoying nonetheless. Wouldn't you want to dance with that chocolate Adonis?"

"Thanks for the warning, Garcia. I think I can handle Derek Morgan" Marie replied with a grin, "chocolate Adonis or not".

While everyone was occupying their favorite corner booth, Marie couldn't notice that Reid was at the bar alone. He looked as if he were waiting for someone. "Why is Spencer sitting alone?" she asked JJ, and by the time JJ could answer, Marie noticed the answer on her own.

Across the crowded, noise filled bar, at the counter sat Dr. Spencer Reid in the arms of a beautiful blonde that Marie couldn't help but recognize…

"Is that…Lila Archer?" She asked the table as a whole. Everyone's silent stares were all the answers she needed.

_**Ouch. Don't you hate it when you're out of the loop?**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**In honor of MGG's episode airing tonight, I have decided to write a new chapter! I'm really anxious to see what all the ruckus is about in regard's to Reid's mystery woman. Hope y'all watch tonight (and enjoy the new chapter)! **_

_**Thanks for the reviews btw (even the negative-nancy). I appreciate all feedback more than you know. :)**_

Chapter 4: Sometimes, Geniuses Aren't as Smart as You Think...

From the look in the eyes of the agents around her, Marie could tell that there was something she didn't know. Any profiler could tell you the same. Morgan was avoiding eye contact with her, Garcia and JJ were staring at Reid and Lila, and Rossi was staring at Marie, trying to get a read on her.

"We had a case a couple years ago centered around Ms. Archer," said Rossi, the first one to break the awkward silence that had befallen the table., "She was being stalked and we were called in to catch the Unsub who had began killing those closest to her".

"She and Reid got pretty close" stated Morgan without looking up, "She wanted to be with him, and she's come out here a couple times since then. Spends some time with us, but mostly Lover Boy over there. I give him props. Not many of us get a hottie like that"

Marie couldn't help but watch them interact with one another. Lila was practically throwing herself at Reid, but he seemed to reciprocate very little if at all. Marie would have thought he was trying to avoid Lila's advances if she hadn't kissed him right there and then. He proceeded to grab her by the hand and drag her out of the bar.

"Lover's quarrel?" Marie asked the table. Everyone nodded and laughed at her observation and went back to their conversations. She remained quiet while listening to her colleagues and thought about the events that had occurred that night.

She watched as Morgan danced with Garcia and couldn't help but wonder if she could actually pick up a guy in a bar. She had tried with Reid only because she already knew him and wondered if he would recognize her. That night, it had seemed like Reid was interested in her. He had been hanging off her every word, and he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her.

Why did she suddenly care about what Reid thought of her? He was her colleague. Sure, he was handsome and she had a really nice intellectual connection with him. He seemed like the kind of guy she'd normally prefer to have in her company, the kind of guy she'd eventually like to end up with, but Reid? They'd only worked together about a day. She wasn't feeling jealous, was she?

* * *

On her way home, Marie decided to stop by the office for some files she needed for a profile she was working on. When the elevator doors opened, she heard noises coming from inside the BAU. It was well past midnight and there really shouldn't have been anyone inside at that time. She walked in and heard the noises were coming from Hotch's office. She didn't mean to eavesdrop (in case it was Hotch), but she couldn't help but notice the two muffled voices coming from the room.

"We can't, ok? I can't!" said the first person, a man.

"Oh come on! Why the hell not?" said the second, a woman.

"Because, we-we-we just can't! Alright?! Get your coat please. We're leaving"

Marie hurried back to her desk, grabbed her files, and ran back for the door. The two in the office were still bickering, so she had time. She opted for the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator and possibly running into whoever was there.

Upon arriving at her apartment, she received a text message from Reid:

"Hey Marie! Hope you enjoyed your first real day at the Bureau! See you tomorrow! – Spencer"

She plugged the phone into her sound system (one of the only items completely set up in her new Quantico apartment) and proceeded to listen to her Led Zeppelin playlist. While she was listening to "Whole Lotta Love", there was a knock on her door. _"Who could that be at this hour?" _she thought. It was 1:30am. She looked through the peephole and saw JJ and Garcia at her door.

"What's up guys? Something wrong?" she asked them.

"We just got out of Mr. Fish's," replied JJ, "we wanted to talk to you about Spence and Lila"

"Um, sure. Please come in" Marie responded, "Why'd you guys want to come talk to me about them?"

"We noticed the way you were staring at them sweetie" said Garcia, "you don't stare at two people that way unless you have a pretty good reason to."

Marie guided them inside to the living room. "You can sit down if you'd like. Would you guys like some coffee?" she asked. She went into the kitchen made espressos for the three of them.

"There's no need to pretend, Marie. We know you have something for Spence" remarked JJ.

"I want to be a courteous hostess, how is that pretending?" Marie replied. She didn't care for where this particular conversation was heading.

"Look honeybee," Garcia started, "there is nothing more that we want in the world for Boy Genius to be happy. We've been waiting for years for him to be happy"

"And now that the chance has finally come" continued JJ, "we don't want anything to jeopardize that. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, I get it" said Marie as she brought the coffees into the living room, "I understand. You don't want anyone to come between him and Lila. Makes perfect sense actually. She seems good for him. He deserves to be happy. It's seldom that we geniuses get to be with people like Lila Archer"

JJ and Garcia looked at one another and looked back at Marie. "Sweetheart, for a genius, you sure are dumb. "Garcia told her, "We don't want Reid to end up with _Lila_, we want him to end up with YOU."

Marie practically choked on her coffee. What was this, hook-up-a-doctor day? With everything she had in her head from the bar, they had to come here and bring this up?

"Spencer's my friend. Nothing more, nothing less" she replied coolly, "I think the same of him that I would think of you two. Plus, fraternizing of agents is prohibited, so I hear."

"It is, technically, but it happens all the time. Plenty of agents end up together" JJ said informatively, "it's more frowned upon than prohibited."

"Guys, I'm not going to date Dr. Spencer Reid." Marie stated, "He's my friend and we're leaving it at that. Plus, it takes two to tango. Spencer wouldn't want a relationship with me either."

That's when Garcia dropped the bomb on Marie, "Darling, you couldn't be more wrong…"


	5. Chapter 5

_**That episode last night was AMAZING! You could tell MGG directed that episode in the first few minutes because of how creepy it was. Nonetheless, hope you all enjoy the next chapter. This one was harder to write for some reason .**_

Chapter 5: The Bombshell

"What was that, Garcia?" asked Marie nervously. Garcia had to be kidding, right? "You mean to tell me that Spencer Reid has a thing for me, but has no problem getting extraordinarily friendly with a certain actress right in front of me?" She was less than enthusiastic about that observation.

"Did you notice that Lila was the friendly one?" inquired JJ. "She was touching on him. She kissed him, and he dragged her out of the bar like I drag Henry out of the toy store."

"Honey, did you notice that the three of us walked in together the other day?" Garcia asked, " He was asking what he should do about you. He knew Lila was coming and for the first time since I've met Boy Wonder, he had no idea what to do."

Marie had a hard time grasping the concept that Reid could actually want her. Growing up, she wasn't exactly the best looking. Her grandmother had called it "ugly ducking syndrome".

"I need to be honest with you two" Marie stated after a long, awkward silence, "When I went up to Spencer at the bar that night, I already knew who he was. He had come to teach a college seminar I took a while back. Back then, I couldn't have ever imagined I'd get the chance to meet him on a personal level and now that I have, I'm afraid to lose him. What if a relationship didn't work out? It would ruin a perfect friendship."

JJ and Garcia just stared at her. They knew that what she was saying was true. They had never seen Reid have a normal friendship, let alone with a member of the opposite sex.

JJ began to cry. Marie didn't know how to console her, so Garcia just held her while she cried.

"Sp-sp-Spence means the w-w-world to me." JJ croaked through her sobs "He's like my l-l-little brother. Th-the only thing I want for him is t-t-t-to be ha-ha-happy. He glows around y-you".

Garcia continued for her, "Darling, our beloved Spencer is absolutely nuts about you. You never see the way he looks at you in the bullpen? How he's always trying to help you even though he knows you don't need it? Or how about that dopey smile he gets when he's around you? Are you honestly _this_ dense?"

After a heavy conversation about Reid and his feelings for Marie, JJ and Garcia left her to her thoughts. She lay in bed but couldn't sleep. All she could think about was Reid. She finally drifted off to sleep; wondering how tomorrow would be now that she knew.

* * *

The next day at work, Reid was nowhere to be found. His coffee mug wasn't on his desk, and his bag wasn't slung around his chair. Marie found herself looking for him everywhere, the break room, the common area outside the office, and even went to Hotch's office window. Rossi, noticing her behavior, called her into his office.

"He isn't here, but you know that don't you?" he asked her gingerly.

"I suppose I do" she replied, "but do you know where he is? It's kind of important."

"He's out with Morgan. They called in sick today" Rossi informed her, "said it was pretty important that he get the day off."

"Oh, ok. Thank you Rossi." said Marie. With that, she went back to her desk and to her surprise, found a text message from Reid.

"_I hear you're looking for me. I'm in the building, but you'll have a difficult time tracking me down. Just wait in the BAU. I'll be back soon. –Spencer"_

Marie instantly looked at JJ, who had been watching her since she arrived in the office. All JJ did was smile at her and walk back into her office. It felt like everyone had abandoned her. Hotch, Rossi, and JJ were in their offices with the doors closed. Garcia was in her "tech cave" and Morgan and Reid were MIA. She sat at her desk and tried to get some work done when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Come for a walk with me?" Reid asked. She complied, grabbed her phone and followed him out of the BAU, passing Morgan at the elevator.

Reid took her downstairs and out into the courtyard outside the FBI building. He took her to the coffee stand and bought coffee for the both of them before guiding her to one of the benches outside.

"I needed to talk to you Marie, and I couldn't with all our friends upstairs. I hope you don't mind" he rambled nervously.

"I actually had to talk to you too, but you first." She replied hurriedly. For the first time what felt like forever, she was extraordinarily nervous. Her stomach was in knots, but hers wasn't the only one.

Reid grew incredibly nervous with the passing seconds. His hands were sweating, his knees where weak, and his stomach was churning. He had never made the first move with a woman and it was definitely proving to be more of a problem than he had originally thought.

"About the other night, about Lila." He began, "I had a somewhat relationship with her after a case we worked on. Nothing too serious. She comes out here once a year and we get together. That's all it's ever been really. This year was different though. When she told me she was coming, all I could think about was you. I didn't want her to come here. I told her to stay in California. Apparently, I wasn't clear enough. That's why I was waiting for her alone at the bar, I wanted to catch her before the rest of the team did. I didn't want you to be hurt. I was trying to explain how I felt to her when she kissed me suddenly. I took her out of the bar and took her to the BAU. I didn't want to take her to my apartment so she wouldn't get the wrong idea."

To Marie, that night finally made sense. "It was you and Lila I overheard arguing in Hotch's office that night!'" she exclaimed.

"Wait, you were there? When?!" Reid asked, clearly growing even more nervous than before (if that was even possible).

Marie hung her head. "I went to grab some files I needed on my way home. I heard voices coming from Hotch's office but couldn't make them out." She said guiltily, "You sounded really angry with her. Why?'

Reid sighed, "Because. She doesn't understand that I don't want her. She's used to getting everything she wants, especially after what happened during the case we worked." He looked at Marie with huge, deep brown eyes. "I told her I wanted you"

Marie didn't know how to respond. She was pretty sure she cared for him in a romantic fashion, she just didn't know how much. Was it enough to be in a relationship with a colleague? To risk everything she had striven for and pursued?

Marie leaned over and got as close to Reid as humanly possible. "Spencer," she said "I need us to be ok. I've never had a friend like you before. I can't lose you because I don't want to be alone".

Reid had never seen her like this before. She was genuinely afraid of losing him. What if their relationship didn't work out? Reid had never taken that into consideration before.

"You won't lose me, Marie. You're not losing a friend either. You're keeping a friend, but gaining a lover. Someone who will care for you and treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You're the most amazing woman I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I'd be crazy if I didn't want to be with you."

Before Marie could say anything to him, Morgan ran out of the building in their general direction.

"Guys, I hate to break this up but we've got an emergency. Henry has gone missing"


	6. Chapter 6

_**This one has a lot of case fic with a little conversation to splash in as well. Thanks for the reviews guys! I greatly appreciate the love! 3**_

Chapter 6: Annie Oakley

"What do you mean Henry's been abducted?!" shouted Reid as they ran up the stairs to the BAU. "Who took him? How? When? Where?"

"This guy name Maynard Coleman took him about an hour ago. He saw him at the playground with Will and followed them out to the parking lot." Responded Morgan. "When he caught up with them, he beat Will over the head with something and left him unconscious in the car and took Henry."

They finally got to the floor and immediately went to the conference room where everyone was already waiting. As they expected, JJ was not present. She had been called to the hospital to be with Will.

Hotch took command of the room instantaneously. "We treat this as any other kidnapping case. We need to, for JJ sake." He stated to a silent room. "You've all had time to look over the file. We're dealing with a 56 year old Caucasian man about 6'2", 215 lbs. What do you think?"

Reid started, " Well, he probably lives close by either JJ's house or the park. He wouldn't want to go to far with a screaming child."

Morgan took over from there, "He's also probably not very educated. According to the other moms who bring their kids to the park, he works as the park clean up guy. I'm going to say he didn't go on to high school."

And Rossi had more to add as well, "He's a day laborer but didn't work for JJ's family at any point. This isn't a stalking case. This was an impulse grab, but why?"

"Maybe Henry reminds the unsub of someone, maybe someone he's lost?" Reid added. "A son? Grandson?"

"Garcia, I want everything there is on this guy. What do you have?"

"Well, Sir, It appears that Mr. Maynard Coleman is a divorced, retired, father of 3, and grandfather of 6. Oh my…" she trailed off

"What Garcia? Something that could be the stresser?"

"His youngest grandson Noah, age 4 just died. It was put down as accidental, even though the child was a drug cocktail for a life threatening condition and it was case closed. Mr. Coleman said that he couldn't have just died, that it had to have been the drugs that killed poor little Noah. He tried to fight the drug companies but they took everything they and his wife divorced him when he got to wrapped up in the case. She was quoted in his file of saying "He just refused to let go". Poor guy."

"Can you put a picture of Noah up on the screen please?" asked Hotch.

When Garcia got the picture up on the screen in the conference room, the room was silent again. The little boy looked identical to Henry.

"Oh my god." Reid said. "That's why the unsub took Henry. He's a carbon copy of his grandson."

"Garcia, where was this guy's last known address?" Hotch asked her.

"A homeless shelter downtown…that was closed down last month due to funding. Coleman could be anywhere…"

"Can we get the local police included in the patrol?" asked Marie. "I'm sure more bodies would help find Henry. If the man is delusional, wouldn't that save Henry?"

"It will… until Henry doesn't act the same way as Noah. Or does one minute thing differently. Coleman's psychosis will break and he'll notice that Henry isn't Noah and he'll be forced to deal with him." Reid replied candidly.

"Well, let's start with his wife and kids. Maybe one of them knows where Coleman is" Hotch said. "Rossi and I will take the ex-wife and Child number one, James Coleman. Morgan and Reid, you go to Children numbers 2 and 3, Mary Coleman-Pritchard, and Jeremy Coleman. Marie, you go to JJ's just in case the kidnappers call."

Everyone took off for the respective assignments. Marie drove the fifteen minutes to JJ's house and arrived just in time for the tech to begin setting up all the equipment needed to tap the phone lines. She walked in and joined Will and JJ in the living room.

"Hey, how are you holding up? Any contact since the incident?" Marie asked the couple, who were now almost miles apart on the living room couch.

"We're fine, have you found Henry?" asked JJ.

"No, but we know who took him and why" Marie replied "We've got every cop on the streets looking for Henry. We'll find him, I promise."

* * *

Reid and Morgan had a 45-minute drive to go talk to Coleman's third child, Jeremy. During that time, Morgan decided to take advantage of the fact that Reid couldn't get away and began asking him questions about Marie.

"So kid, you and the new girl huh? He asked playfully.

"What do you mean, Morgan?" Reid replied, "There's nothing going on between us. At all."

"Kid, you're a horrible liar. I see the way you look at her." Morgan teased. "The way you blush if she gets too close to you."

"I told her I wanted to be with her, and she told me that she was afraid to lose me as a friend by dating me. It doesn't make sense to me" Reid said quickly, as if he were gravely embarrassed. "Does that mean I should let it go?"

"Hello no Reid! Are you nuts?" shouted Morgan. "That girl is crazy about you and you're gonna let her just walk away?"

"She doesn't want to be with me Morgan. I think she made that pretty clear."

"Kid, for a genius, you sure are dumb. That girl wants you. You just need to see that." And that was the last they spoke of it during the trip.

* * *

Marie was waiting with JJ when she got the phone call from Hotch.

"Marie, we got a hit on Coleman. His daughter said he rents a room in a home of a family friend." He said. "The address is a couple blocks from you. Head over there and meet Morgan and Reid for back up"

"Got it Hotch. " she replied. "JJ, I'm gonna go meet Morgan and Reid. I'll be right back ok?"

She arrived at the home of Vincent Mellroni and followed Reid into the house. She spotted Henry in a chair in the corner of the room. Reid holstered his gun and opened his arms to Henry, who burst from the chair and ran into the safety of his godfather's arms. Just at that second, Coleman appeared with a gun pointed at Reid.

"Mr. Coleman! Put down gun sir!" she shouted at him.

"Not until he gives me back Noah! He shouted back.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Mr. Coleman! I need you to put down the gun! Do you see my badge sir? I work for the FBI. Now PUT YOUR GUN DOWN!" she screamed.

He pointed the gun closer to Reid's head. "Pull the trigger!" he yelled.

With a burst of light and sound, Maynard Coleman fell into a heap on the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

**_The answer to the cliffhanger! Hope this satisfies the need for answers! :)_**

Chapter 7: You're Never Safe

"Did you get the chance I check the house? Where's Morgan?" Marie asked.

"I don't know where he is" Reid replied while trying to quiet Henry." He went around back.

"I'm going to go look for him. You stay here with Henry"

Marie, with weapon drawn, searched throughout the house before heading outside. The house was clear, so she didn't see a reason not to go look for Morgan in the backyard. She called for him through her earpiece, but he didn't answer. She hurried outside to find Morgan lying on the ground.

"Spencer!" she yelled. "I found Morgan! Call for an ambulance!" She checked his pulse and he was still alive, just unconscious. "Spencer!" she yelled again. No answer. She pulled out her phone to dial 911 when out of nowhere, Marie felt a sharp pain on the back of her head and everything went dark.

* * *

"Marie, wake up." Said Morgan. She awoke to her hands restrained behind her back and her body tied to a chair. She was blindfolded as well. The three of them were tied up with their backs facing each other in the shape of a triangle.

"Morgan! What happened?" she asked. "Where are Spencer and Henry?"

"I'm right here, Marie. He took Henry." Reid replied. Marie made the mental note that Spencer was to her right, and Morgan was to her left.

"Who took Henry? I shot Coleman. You saw him die."

"Yes, but you didn't shoot both of us." Said a mysterious voice.

"Who the hell are you? You know imprisoning a Federal officer is a felony, right?" Morgan spat.

"Listen, none of you are parents right? You don't understand what it can do to you. What it can do to your marriage." The mystery man said. "Now, with this new little boy who looks exactly like my son, my wife can be happy again. My marriage will be ok now."

"Sir, I can help you, but I can't if I don't know who you are and if I'm tied up and blindfolded" Reid replied.

"You can't help me!" the captor said. "When my father-in-law called me and told me he found a boy like Noah, I couldn't believe it. Now my wife will have to be ok!"

"Your wife made you do this?" Marie asked the man.

"Of course not!" he replied. "I'm doing this for her!"

"I don't think your wife would appreciate you taking away someone else's son. If she lost her own, what makes you think someone else's child can replace Noah?" she asked him.

"Shut up! Shut up! This will make everything ok! Mary will be ok! We'll be ok with this boy!"

"Mary Coleman-Pritchard is your wife?" Morgan asked him.

"Of course she is. Our son died because of all the drugs the doctors forced down his throat. He would have been fine if not for them."

"Mr. Pritchard, I guarantee that this won't make your wife happy again." Marie stated. "As a woman, no one can replace your child. No one."

All of a sudden, Marie could see. Mr. Pritchard had taken off her blindfold. "Well, if you're so smart, I guess you'll need to be dealt with, and after I'm done with you I'd take care of your friends too. Then I'll run off with my wife and son and everything will go back to the way it was."

"But Henry isn't your son." Marie stated. "Nothing can bring Noah back. It's important that you take a negative situation and make it into a positive one. Take your wife somewhere and spend time together, just the two of you. You both can get through it together."

"I don't think so!" Pritchard yelled.

He pointed his gun at her head, and as he did, Marie could feel Reid's fingers intertwine with hers. She closed her eyes and heard the gun shot. She was ok though. She opened her eyes and saw Mr. Pritchard lying on the floor with Hotch, weapon drawn, standing in the doorway.

Rossi came and untied the three of them. "When you guys didn't respond, we came over here as fast as we could."

"Where's Henry?" Reid asked.

"He's with JJ and Will." Hotch replied. "We found him in a bedroom inside the house. Pritchard must have hidden him there when he tied you guys up."

"But he's ok?" asked Morgan.

"He's a little shaken up, but he'll be alright now that he's back with his parents. He's too young to fully understand what happened." Stated Rossi. "All he knows is that Uncle Spencer, Uncle Derek, and a pretty lady saved him."

"At least he knows how to pick them" laughed Morgan. "A true ladies man."

"Let's go home guys" said Rossi. "Dinner at my house after a long day? There's a lot of wine in my pantry"

"Done deal!" Morgan exclaimed.

"Can I go check on JJ first? I'll meet you guys there, I promise." Marie told the group.

"Sure, we'll see you soon. But now you have to bring desert." Rossi replied playfully.

* * *

"JJ, how's Henry?" Marie asked her colleague. Before she could say anything else, JJ embraced her as tight as she could.

"Thank you so much Marie. Spence told me you tried to talk some sense into Pritchard. You guys saved Henry's life."

"It's alright JJ" Marie replied. "Everything is ok now. Go home and take care of your son"

* * *

When she returned back to the BAU, Marie was exhausted. She went into the locker room to put her Kevlar vest away and was surprised to find a note in her locker.

_Meet me at my apartment around 11. If there's anything today has showed me, it's that wee need to talk. See you later. –Spencer_

Knowing that he had a point, Marie decided that she would go to Spencer's to talk to him. She owed him that. She looked at her phone and noticed that it was 9:00pm. She decided to go home first to shower and change then head over to meet Spencer.

If she was going to break the rules for him, she might as well look good doing it.


	8. Chapter 8

_**So I think I've taken this particular story as far as I can take it. However, I'm going to start a new story with Marie and Reid with a new plot and adventure. Thanks to everyone for their support. I truly feel so much better about my writing and have started work on my novel today. Hope y'all enjoyed my first Fic :)**_

Chapter 8

Marie arrived at Reid's apartment with about ten minutes to spare. On her way, she had called JJ to tell her about the situation at hand, as so JJ could make an excuse for her either being late or not showing up to Rossi's house for dinner. She had wished Marie luck, and for what Marie wasn't sure.

She couldn't decide whether to wait until 11 or to just go upstairs when she got there. She parked on the street outside Reid's building and opted to wait awhile. Marie was reapplying her lipstick when she heard knocking on her car window. She looked up and saw Reid standing outside with grocery bags. He was dressed differently than before. He was wearing black dress pants with a white button down and a navy blue sweater vest with a gray tie. His coat, a black pea coat, was left open and his typical purple scarf was hanging around his neck.

Marie stepped out of the car and tried to grab on of the bags out of his but he refused. "You can help me by grabbing my keys to the building though" he told her. "They're in my coat pocket." Marie reached for the keys and they both walked up to the door. She opened the doors and they rode the elevator up to the fifth floor where Reid's apartment was. Once inside, Reid set the groceries down on the table and went into the kitchen while Marie took a seat on the couch.

"Would you mind putting on some music while I cook dinner?" he shouted out to her.

"You're cooking? Garcia warned me about the last time you tried to cook something for a team member." She said jokingly. "Where is your stereo system?"

"There's a Victrola in the next room. There should be records over there as well. Pick whichever you'd like. I'm fond of them all. And how was I supposed to know that JJ was allergic to eggplant? I didn't know that by cooking for her, that I'd be putting her in the hospital." He stated.

"A victrola? Do you have some kind of personal vendetta against technology?"

"No, I just prefer the classics. Do you like Italian food?"

"It's my favorite. Why?"

"Those are the ingredients I bought at the market. Would you like a glass of wine?" he asked.

"Sure" Marie yelled from the other room as she perused Reid's record collection. She settled on a Duke Ellington record and put it to play. "Take the A train" began to play as she sauntered out of the room. "The Duke is one of my honest to God favorites, and nothing makes him sound better than vinyl." She couldn't see him, but Reid was smiling while imagining dancing with her to the sounds of Duke Ellington and his band.

She went into the kitchen and leaned on the doorway. "Anything I can help you with, Spencer?" she asked sweetly. "I've always enjoyed cooking."

Just as she spoke, Spencer sliced his finger cutting onions. "Well, you can get the first aid kit from under the sink." He said as he pointed to the cabinet. She took it out and sat him down. She cleaned the wound with rubbing alcohol and wrapped gauze around it.

"You're lucky you know. Any deeper and you could have lost a finger tip." She said kiddingly. Marie looked up at Reid as she was bandaging his wound and noticed him staring at her.

"You're wearing makeup." He stated. "You look breathtaking. Not that you don't normally, but tonight. It's like you dressed up or something."

"Yes, I did put make up on because I wanted to dress up. I work for the FBI now. I rarely get the chance to be pretty" she replied.

"You're always pretty," he said smiling.

They continued to cook dinner together while talking about everything and anything. Reid enjoyed Marie's company more than any other agent. Everything with her just felt…right. He never had to hold back on how intelligent he is, and he never had to pretend to be someone he wasn't. She brought out the best in him and he loved that about her.

After they ate, they were sitting in Reid's living room, drinking wine, when "In a Sentimental Mood" started playing throughout the apartment.

"Dance with me?" Reid asked Marie. He held his hand out to her, picked her up off the couch, and started to spin her around. "I know it's cliché, but since I heard you talking about Duke, I couldn't help but imagine what it looked like to see you dance." He told her, blushing as he spoke. He held her around the hips and continued to talk. "About what I said the other day, I meant every word you know. I've never met a woman like you, and I don't want you just let you slip through my fingers."

He spoke with such confidence that Marie couldn't help but smile. She took a good look at him. She certainly could do much, much worse than Dr. Spencer Reid. He was incredibly attractive, intelligent, caring, and beyond anyone she had ever met in college or at the academy. Being so close to him, Marie could notice the effect of years of being in the BAU. He had small wrinkles around his eyes, which also had bags under them. She could also see the love in his eyes, affection he felt for her.

When the music stopped, Reid didn't let go of Marie. He placed his index finger under her chin and raised her head. He wanted to be brave. He wanted to show her how much she meant to him. He needed her to know. With that, he placed his lips on hers. He kissed her feverishly; as if he were trying to make her feel everything he had been feeling. As she wrapped her arms around him, Reid grabbed her hair. Their kiss was almost frantic, like it was going to end at any moment.

Marie was the first to break away. "Spencer, I want to be with you. I'm sorry I made you believe otherwise." She told him wholeheartedly. "If you'll still have me, of course." She gave him a playful wink.

"I'd have to be stupid to turn that down." He said with a laugh as he took his cell phone out of his pocket. "It's Morgan. They'll still at Rossi's. Do you want to go?"

"Only if you'll be my official escort," she replied.

When they got to Rossi's, they walked in the front door hand in hand. They arrived to a roaring applause from their colleagues, showing their approval and acceptance.


End file.
